Kwanzaa was born out of the civil rights movement and created in the 1960s by Maulana Karenga, a college professor and activist at the University of California.

Kwanzaa celebrations vary from the home where families gather around the kinara, or candleholder, and light candles, to larger community efforts that promote unity through African culture, spirituality and history.

And some say that is the true beauty of Kwanzaa; it can mean something different to everyone. - New York Times